


that means i got cattitude

by cautiondonotmicrowave



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Captain America Steve Rogers, Established Relationship, Lonely Bucky, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, POV Bucky Barnes, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Retired Bucky Barnes, and bucky may love her more than you, it all turns out okay though because bucky adopts alpine, surprise steve, why can't Steve just get back from his mission, you and bucky have a cat child now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26505949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cautiondonotmicrowave/pseuds/cautiondonotmicrowave
Summary: Alpine fits into Bucky and Steve's home like the final piece of a puzzle. She's perfect, and Bucky can't wait for Steve to finally meet her.orBucky adopts a cat.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 180





	that means i got cattitude

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoy!
> 
> (( let it be known that this is a rewrite of a fic that i wrote a year ago when i was not confident in my writing! so if you read a story similar to this with the same title, do not be alarmed! that being said, i hope you enjoy this version if this applies to you :] ))

Bucky would definitely consider his and Steve's brownstone to be the some-what-perfect safe haven; it's where he feels most comfortable, content enough to sprawl out on the couch and binge-watch Jersey Shore and Junior Masterchef. He might even feel up to baking weird pastries and cakes that he randomly finds while balls deep in his daily Pinterest scroll. 

It's just - he gets a little lonely when Steve's away. 

He's glad Steve's still content with suiting up and saving the world every time some jackass decides to pull the Super Villian Card™ and try to rule all of humanity because the world needs to become one big fascist government and blah blah blah. Kind of repetitive and annoying, if you ask Bucky - been doing this shit since the '40s for fuck's sake - but Steve enjoys it, somehow. The thing is, it gives Steve something to do every day. Something to live for. All Bucky's got is Hulu, Twitter, and maybe Pinterest if he feels like scrolling through the predominantly suburban-wine-mom app.

The flat is quiet, too quiet, and Bucky is bored.

Should he start a blog? Pick up soul-cycle again? Start doing pilates? Nah. Couch-potato-ing and watching kids make food he's never even fucking heard of sounds far more appealing than any of those. But even then? Bucky doesn't fucking know.

Gordon Ramsey's currently droning on about the texture of a contestant's Pana Cotta, and Bucky legitimately does not care. Hasn't he already watched this season?

It would be better if Steve were there to cuddle and completely roast the hell out of the contestants and their blunders alongside Bucky. Though they both know they would never even come close to competing at the level those cooks do weekly, especially since those kids are, like, twelve at the most. 

Not even Twitter is giving him any relief from the unabashed silence of their home.

Bucky huffs and snuggles deeper into his imprinted spot on the couch.

He would call Sam and bother him, but he's down in D.C. visiting his mom. Natalia's out on the mission with Steve, so that's a no. And there's not a snowball's chance in hell he's going to contact Tony and ask him to hang out, even if that dickhead were free.

"Ugh," Bucky says to absolutely no one but himself.

He's getting ready to burrow further into the couch and take his fourth nap of the day when he gets a call from Sean Casey Animal Rescue.

He and Steve have both donated to various animal shelters around the city in the past, have even volunteered a few different times, and have let each of them know that they're just a call away if they're ever needed.

So Bucky answers. 

The girl on the end of the line sounds almost frantic; he thinks she said her name was Kate? He doesn't know, and he's not gonna make her stop to tell him again. All he knows and really cares about is that they need some extra hands, and fast.

Bucky's one foot out the door before the call even ends.

* * *

"What can I do to help?" Bucky says, hands perched on his hips as he waits to hear orders from Kate.

There are volunteers everywhere - filing paperwork, making calls - it's a shitshow, is what it is.

She looks flustered as all hell, cheeks almost as red as the brick of their building's exterior as she cradles two kittens in her arms. "Well, uh, I - fuck," she stampers as one of the kittens swats at her, "- sorry, that was rude of me, uh just, like, separate the cats by age? Unless it's obvious that kittens belong to a mother cat, then try and keep those guys together," she breathes out, putting the kittens into what looks like a play-pen for babies. "These guys are - uh - well, they're not big enough to jump out of here so - yeah - I'm just trying to save room for the adult cats to have space in the actual pens."

Bucky jumps into action, coming to Kate's aid.

* * *

Kate had said when he first got there - explaining while stepping over and around teams of cats - that the felines had belonged to this older man who had neglected to get his cats spayed and neutered when he was still alive, so when his building's super came around for rent and found his body on the ground with over 35 cats and kittens running amok in the old man's one-bedroom apartment, he had immediately called the shelter.

"Bullshit," Bucky had said, "35 cats?"

"You'll see," Kate had replied, looking as exasperated as that poor building super had probably felt.

Kate was right.

* * *

Bucky had gotten there at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but after they finish organizing the cats, feeding them, and making sure they're hydrated and content enough not to start fighting with each other - because, really, that would be a fucking nightmare - it's nearly midnight.

All of the other volunteers are absolutely exhausted, and Bucky doesn't blame them. They kicked ass today, and Kate makes sure they know it by thanking profusely and dismissing them for the night. 

Bucky lingers, though.

"What are you still doin' here?" Kate yawns, folding freshly-washed blankets for the kitten-incubators, "I'm gonna watch them for overnight - you hurry home."

"Oh, no-no. I'll be fine. I've volunteered before, remember?" He smiles softly, pulling at one of the blankets in Kate's hands, "You look exhausted. Let me stay and watch."

Kate gives him a _look_ , but over 100 years of knowing and loving Steve means that he can throw looks like that right back. 

"The beds we have back in the back are definitely - hm - less than subpar? I really don't recommend them, Bucky."

Bucky gives her a _look_.

"Ugh, fine," she groans, releasing the bundled blanket, "but if there are any problems, and I mean any, you call me and let me know, 'kay?"

Bucky grins, "'kay."

Kate leaves her number at the front desk. She reminds Bucky where the beds-but-actually-cots are, just in case he needs some shut-eye, before finally locking up and heading back to hers for the night.

He settles in his cot, grabbing his phone and putting on that true-crime podcast he's been addicted to as of late. Steve says he's crazy for listening to it, but Bucky likes the thrill of guessing what will come next, profiling and solving crimes that don't even need to be solved.

Plus, it gives him somewhat of an upper hand when the bi-annual Avengers trivia night comes around.

Bucky's starting to doze until he hears a high pitched _mmmrow_ coming from one of the pens, and, suddenly, he's wide awake. 

He's quick to get up and head into the holding area, turning on lights as he goes along and listens for another call from the pens. Another _mrrow_ sounds, and Bucky immediately finds the culprit.

It's a short-haired white tabby that Kate had estimated to be about a year old, maybe older. She's smaller than the rest of the cats that came out of that apartment by quite a bit, but Bucky had noticed that she held her own fairly well when it came to her interactions with her fellow house-mates. 

"Hey, snow baby," Bucky coos, opening and reaching into the pen to grab her so she can get settled down, "What's got you all riled up, huh? These guys not being nice to you?"

She's a little shaken up, eyes wide and fully dilated, probably not used to the amount of affection she'd received earlier today, let alone the love that Bucky's giving her now.

She lets out another _mrrow_ as he takes her back to his bed for the night, stroking her fur softly and whispering sweet nothings to her to calm her down.

Bucky's no stranger to cats. 

He'd had one growing up - well, Bartie wasn't technically his cat, he was Rebecca's, but he had been the one to take care of it. And he and Steve did their best to feed some of the strays that littered the streets after they'd moved into their first shoebox apartment together. It'd driven their next-door neighbor fucking crazy, but both he and Steve liked doing it. Hell, Steve'd even sat outside and pet some of the cats whenever they would linger more than the amount of time it took to swallow a whole can of tuna.

Huh, maybe he and Steve should look into getting a cat.

The little white tabby has calmed down significantly by the time Bucky leans back and starts to drift off, snuggling into his neck and purring softly. 

* * *

Bucky's woken up by the sound of his phone ringing, the alert-tone letting him know that it's Steve that's calling.

"'Ello?" Bucky answers, voice gruff, and pushes himself up into a sitting position, spotting the white tabby still content and asleep on the cot next to him. It's nearly pitch black in the room, so it must be pretty early. 

_"Thought going out with Tony wasn't your style, sweetheart. D'ya turn a new leaf?"_ Steve breathes into the phone. Bucky can tell that asshole is grinning from ear to ear. And, boy, could he not be more wrong.

"'S not," Bucky sighs as he stretches. Damn, he misses his couch and his bed. Kate wasn't lying when she'd said the beds were less than ideal. "Not 'ven with Tony."

A pause, _"Where'd you get off to, Buck?"_

Bucky smirks to himself, "Went back to my old ways, chasin' skirts," he reaches down and pets tabby along her spine, "Woulda left a note, but, hell, I don't give a shit."

Steve chuckles, the hoarseness of his voice shaking Bucky to his fucking core, _"Damn, guess I gotta get Sam to serve you papers when he gets back, huh?"_

"Can't serve 'em to me if I avoid 'im, Stevie," Bucky coos, still stroking the cat. "Nah, I'm at the Casey rescue shelter. One of their workers said they needed a hand, figured I'd be useful an'-"

_"That's a first."_

"-Shuddup - an' I said I'd stay the night to watch their new guys, so-" Bucky pauses, thinking about mentioning the little tabby that he's currently cuddling with, and that had been so good the entire time he'd been sleeping. He decides to let it drop, might be a pleasant little surprise for Steve. And, hey, they both know Bucky always winds up getting what he wants, anyways.

_"Sounds like a great time, doll."_

Bucky nods, even though he knows Steve can't see him, "'S nice change a pace. Was gettin' kinda lonely with you gone on me."

_"Back now, can't wait to see you. Got some plans -"_ Steve all but groans, voice going husky.

"Nope, no. I am _not_ talking sex-cabades with you in a public place, nope. Love you, bye," he laughs out incredulously, shaking his head as he hangs up the phone. He looks down at the white tabby, who's looking up at him almost lovingly, soft, green eyes blown wide. "Can you believe that sack of shit? Honestly, sometimes I wonder why I even put a ring on that asshat. I don't even like 'im, most of the time."

_Mrrow?_ The cat all but says in reply.

"Yeah, I know, I do love 'im."

* * *

  
  


Kate comes back at eight a.m, relieving Bucky of his night watch duty. She thanks him, and laughs when he says that he has an awful crick in his neck from the lumbar-supportless-cot that they have in the back, and smiles when she sees the white tabby poking her head out of Bucky's sweatshirt.

"Really?"

"What? She likes it! I think it makes her feel _cozy,_ " Bucky beams.

"She sure does look comfortable - d'you get attached?" she says, quirking a brow. She holds out her hand for the short-hair to sniff, and the cat rubs against it appreciatively, purring softly.

"Kinda, maybe - yeah."

"You lookin' to adopt?" She asks, already heading to the front desk to grab some papers for Bucky to fill out in case he says yes.

"If you'd had asked me this time yesterday - woulda said no," he sighs, attempting to look down at the cat whose head is right underneath his, "but, yeah, I think she's pretty great. Real polite and such."

Kate grins, "Got a name in mind?"

Oh, Steve's gonna hate this.

"Alpine."

* * *

Kate has him fill out all the paperwork for the adoption, asking questions like _do you have a contract with a landlord against pets, do you have any other pets in the house,_ and Bucky's personal favorite: _do you have children?_

To which Bucky replies, "I got a Steve, does he count?"

She says it will be about a week for the adoption process to be complete, as Alpine has to be neutered and given a clean bill of health. And that's all good with Bucky, so long as Alpine's happy and healthy in the end.

* * *

The past two weeks have been torturous for Bucky. 

Steve went on another mission last week - which, yeah, allowed Bucky to purchase cat toys, treats, food, fountain-water-bowl-thingies, and scratch trees in complete secrecy - but every time he's on the phone with Steve, he almost blurts the entire thing out, and, fuck, if that's the one thing he doesn't want to do.

(They do end up having some pretty amazing phone sex, though. Bucky was so desperate for a distraction from this entire mess he'd gotten himself into that he caves. He also discovers that he doesn't mind calling Steve _daddy_ , which, okay, that's new. Still, they're both _really_ into it, apparently.)

The night before Bucky's wait is finally up, he can't sleep. 

He already has everything set up for Alpine's arrival tomorrow, but he's so jittery that he feels like he's going to burst out of his skin. The last time he felt this anxious, he was proposing to Steve, and, boy, had _that_ been a shitshow.

It isn't until one in the morning that Bucky drifts into a fitful sleep, full of furballs and soft, content purrs.

* * *

"Alright, you have a cat-carrier with you, right?" Kate asks Bucky, looking at him expectantly.

"Sure do!" Bucky all but grins, holding up one of those cool bubble window backpacks he saw on Twitter last week. He couldn't wait to try it out with Alpine.

"Cool beans, I'll take you back to her pen and let you grab her."

* * *

Alpine fits into Bucky and Steve's home like the final piece of a puzzle. She's perfect, and Bucky can't wait for Steve to finally meet her. Or surprise Steve with her? For all Steve knows, he's coming home to a cat-less abode. And who says ignorance is bliss?

Bucky and Alpine are cuddling on the couch, watching The Aristocats together, their eyes droopy from staying up so late. 

He's been in contact with Steve ever since he landed at five o'clock, but Steve had to debrief the team and get through Manhattan traffic, _yuck_. It's not until a quarter past midnight that Bucky hears the telltale signs of Steve coming through the front door.

Steve pokes his head into the living room and smiles softly, "Hey, doll."

"Hiya, Stevie," Bucky breathes out sleepily, moving his hand to start petting Alpine.

It takes a moment for Steve to catalog the new furniture adorning the room due to the television's low lighting. It takes even longer for him to notice the ball of white fur sitting atop Bucky's blanket-covered lap.

"Whatcha got there?" Steve asks softly, tiptoeing towards the couch to better view his husband and their family's newest member. He reaches his hand down and pets Alpine gently, cooing at her, "Pretty little kitty."

"'S 'fraid you wouldn' like 'er," Bucky slurs, eyes getting heavier by the minute. It'd been a big day.

"Why would't I like her, sweetheart? You obviously love 'er, you only let a very limited set of - uh, well - individuals? - on the couch with ya."

"Ga' tha' right," Bucky yawns, and reaches his arms out, "'rry us?"

Steve smiles, picking up both Bucky and Alpine and heading towards the stairs, "Sure thing."

* * *

That night, they fall asleep together, Alpine sandwiched between Bucky and Steve, purring oh-so contently.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> drop me a comment if you like!


End file.
